


To Love A Flower

by Baccatapages



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Heartbreak, Ignoring infinity war and civil war here, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Secrets, and Winter soldier now that i think of it, mutant!reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 09:24:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16489952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baccatapages/pseuds/Baccatapages
Summary: "When you like a flower, you simply pluck it. When you love a flower, you water it daily." - The BuddhaThere was a time when Steve had everything, even if he was so sickly. He had Bucky, he had you. You were a peaceful soul and begged both him and Bucky not to enlist. When Bucky went against your wishes, they had a bigger argument than ever. When Bucky had stormed out, you and Steve had started arguing.





	To Love A Flower

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first poly fic, please be gentle!  
> Comments are appreciated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the first things Steve did when he was brought out of the ice was search for you but he found nothing. Even as he fought in the Battle of New York, you and Bucky weighed heavily on his mind.
> 
> Steve wasn't beyond believing in the afterlife, but believing in ghosts was a step too far. Returning from visiting Peggy, he passed someone who looked very much like you in the street. His next choices affect both his and your future.

 

 

'Say uncle! Say it, I dare you!' 

Sam glowered up at Steve, who had him pinned on the sparring mat. 'Uncle, you asshole.' The supersoldier stood and smirked down at his friend. 'Are you ever going to let me win at least one?'

'Nope. You're just going to have to deal with it.' Steve clapped Sam on the shoulder. 'Come on, i'll get you breakfast to make up for kicking your ass.' 

'You better get me those donuts from the shop by the park.' Sam said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. 'It's the least you can do. I think you threw out my back.'

'Man, y/n used to-' Steve caught himself, feeling bile begin to rise in his throat. Sam looked at him in concern.

'Cap, you okay?'

Steve shook his head and felt the dam he had been building ever since that night start to break. He ran before Sam could see him shed any tears which inevitably came the moment he slammed the door to his quarters. After a good ten minutes of getting rid of as many tears as he could, he wiped his nose and adjusted himself against the door he'd been huddling against. 'Jarvis?' He called. 

'Yes, sir?' The AI replied. 

'Where's Sam?'

'Mr Wilson is currently pacing the communal area, conversing with Miss Romanoff.'

'Thank you.' Steve forced himself to stand and stumbled to the bathroom. He washed his face and tried to banish your heartbroken face from his mind. 

 

'Hey Cap.' Sam said as Steve entered, forcibly keeping his composure. Sam looked like he was trying to not make it awkward but it wasn't really working. 'Do you wanna go for a run?'

'I thought you wanted breakfast?'

'Lost my appetite.' Sam shrugged.

'Cap.' Natasha said, drawing their attention to her. 'You know you can talk to us about anything, right?'

Steve nodded after a moment. 'Yeah, of course.'

'Cap, go get some fresh air.' Sam ordered. 'Clear your head.'

Almost mechanically, Steve obeyed. He found himself at Peggy's and she could tell immediately that something was bothering him. 'What's wrong?' She asked.

'Do you remember that picture you found in my bag, once?' Steve said, sitting back in his chair.

'The one of you and Barnes.' Peggy nodded. 'And the pretty girl.'

'That, uh, that pretty girl was called Y/N Y/L/N. She was me and Buck's girlfriend.' Steve said quickly. 'We didn't really announce it at the time, what with the views then.'

'Why is this bothering you now?'

'Because I never got to apologise, Peggy. I said some truly terrible things and I never even got to apologise!' Steve sighed. 'And i've searched everywhere! I can't find her!'

'You think she's dead.' Peggy said bluntly.

 

Getting what was bothering him off his chest was rather refreshing, even if it hurt opening those old wounds. As he started walking back to his apartment, he recalled how he had first met you.

_Steve was cursing Bucky for wasting three dollars on trying to get a stupid bear for a girl as they were walking back through the city. 'Was she even worth it?' Steve huffed._

_'Course it was.' Bucky rolled his eyes._

_'She had a boyfriend!'_

_'Could've been her brother.'_

_'I saw them Frenching as we left!' Steve shook his head as they rounded a corner._

_'Oh god- what did I just step in?' Bucky pulled a face as he stepped in the dark puddle originating from the alleyway._

_'I think that's blood.' Steve said, squinting into the darkness. Despite Bucky's protests, Steve started to follow the trail of blood and waved frantically at Bucky when he found what was bleeding. It was too dark to see what she looked like, but the young woman was propped up against a wall, her wrists slit._

_'Is she dead?' Bucky hissed._

_'I think so.' He said, a frown pulling at his lips._

_'We should go to the police-' Bucky began but he lurched away when the young woman suddenly moved. Bucky dragged Steve back as the woman got to her feet unsteadily._

_She started cursing and Steve blushed at how many profanities she was spewing. 'Uh, miss?' Steve said hesitantly. 'Are you alright?'_

_'Yes.' She said grumpily. 'I'm perfectly peachy.'_

_'I've only heard words like that come from a sailor.' Bucky said, vaguely impressed._

'Uh, i'm sorry to bother you?' Steve was pulled out of memory lane by a pair of young girls, no older than fifteen, clutching their phones. 'But do you mind if we get a picture with you? We're big fans of yours.'

'Uh, yeah of course.' Steve mumbled and allowed them to snap their pictures. While the girls were on their fifth picture, someone squeezed past the girls and walked the way Steve had come. She had y/h/c and bright /y/e/c eyes, wearing a dark jacket, ratty jeans and a dark green T-shirt. Her eyes met his briefly before they flickered away and she walked away. 

The fans released him and Steve tried to decide whether he'd seen a ghost. He didn't believe in them. But who's to say that it wasn't a ghost? That by some miracle you hadn't aged a day? Steve decided to take a chance and jogged to catch up with her. 

He caught her arm and she stopped and turned. 'Miss? I, uh-' Steve cursed himself. He hadn't thought that far ahead. The woman who looked so very much like you, down to the finest detail, frowned at him.

'Can I help you?'

Damn, she even sounded like you. 'You don't, uh, happen to know a woman called y/n y/l/n, do you?'

'Who's asking?' Her frown was deeper now. 'How do you know my name?'

Steve's eyes widened. 'Y/n/n?'

Her eyes, your eyes searched his face. 'Stevie?'

'You're alive.' Steve said, somewhat dumbly.

Your mouth tightened into a flat line. 'If you're really him, what's his favourite type of soup?'

'Tomato rice. You made it for me whenever i got sick. After a while, I started craving the stuff.' Steve said, feeling a smile grace his lips. 

'Perhaps we should talk somewhere.' You said after a moment. 

'My apartment's this way.' Steve said, pointing the way he had just left.

 

'I had no idea you were alive.' You admit, taking a sip of coffee.

'Have you not read the news recently?' Steve asked, surprised.

'I've been... sleeping.' You said, hesitating.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Steve, haven't you wondered how i'm still alive?' You sighed. 'Have you ever heard of mutants?' Steve nodded but frowned. 'Some mutants have a healing factor.'

'Meaning?'

'Meaning, if we're not decapitated, we can potentially live forever.' You said. 'Well, actually, that's not true. It's very hard to kill someone like me. I grew back from a finger once.' You shuddered in revulsion. 'It's an experience i do not want to repeat.'

'So you did fight in the war?'

'God no.' You shook your head. 'I haven't fought in a war in... well, I think the year was three digits.'

'Still a pacifist, then?'

'Not so much now.' You admitted. 'I've had to get rid of some pesky Hydra agents before.'

'You said you've been sleeping?'

You grinned. 'Yes, I find it a good way to escape. I slept for three hundred years once.'

'You got me beat. I only slept for seventy years.' Steve smiled and felt affection bubble in his chest. 

'Sleeping is the best term to compare it with. It's like... meditation.' You shrugged.

'I guess it's my turn.' Steve said. He told his story in as much detail as he could. Steve noticed that your expression didn't change when he mentioned Bucky's death, but your grip on the mug tightened considerably. 

Just as Steve finished, someone knocked on the door. He went to answer the door and felt himself thrown back with considerable force as someone rushed past him, gun raised. 

Your eyebrow raised when the figure in dark clothes, a dark mask and a gun raised, charged at you.

Quick as a flash, you and the assassin were grappling with the large gun he had. After a swift and brutal kick to the groin, you took the gun and snapped it in half, rendering it useless. The assassin staggered to his feet, obviously shaken by the merciless kick. He took the smaller gun and managed to get two shots in before you had emptied the gun and elbowed him in the face.

Steve jumped in to help, tugging the assassin's arms behind his back and forcing him to the floor. He slammed the man's head down onto the floor a few times and knocked him out.

'He must've been following me.' You sighed. 'I'm sorry I led him here.'

'Why would someone want you dead?' Steve frowned.

'Not dead. As a weapon.' You corrected. 'Now, we have three options. We can kill him, we can interrogate him and then kill him, or we can hand him over to the authorities.'

Steve squinted at you. 'And here I thought you were a pacifist.'

**Author's Note:**

> Y/N - your name  
> Y/L/N - your last name  
> y/n/n - your nickname  
> y/e/c - your eye colour  
> y/h/c - your hair colour


End file.
